


perfect victory

by dracometria



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Falling In Love, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Mages, Tiếng Việt | Translation in Vietnamese, a tiny bit of hurt/comfort, arcadia and sanctuary are kingdoms how original am i, background yeongyu / beomjun, soft, sookai, soulbond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24356866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracometria/pseuds/dracometria
Summary: Soobin more or less kidnaps Arcadia's mage, then promptly falls in love with him.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai
Comments: 20
Kudos: 174





	perfect victory

**Author's Note:**

> *** **many thanks to Rui for translating this fic in Vietnamese!** the link is available [here](https://www.wattpad.com/story/229400517)  
> i'm so, so grateful that people are willing to reach out to me and offer to translate my fics...it's a really big honor, thank you so much...
> 
> the way i have been struggling over this for ages...........it's finally done *crying hamster with a peace sign.jpg* now i can finally get on with my life and start on a soulmate au (i just KNOW it's going to trip me up) 
> 
> it's a little bit rough around the edges, i may go back and edit, i may not! i proofread as i go which is probably not the smartest idea but i am not the smartest person either
> 
> very minor/background mentions of characters doing not very christian things (they are fighting in a war...people d*e)

Arcadia’s mage is just a _child._

Well, compared to what they thought. The advisors were sure the mage would be either at their prime in their late twenties or centuries old as a mage who practiced necromancy to achieve a half-life, a grasp at immortality. 

Clearly, they were wrong.

He’s _beautiful._

That’s the first thought, the thought that came to mind before, _He can’t be much younger than me._

Arcadia’s mage is tall with dark hair that looks soft to the touch. He has delicate features, a boyishness not yet fully worn away by time, but it’s offset by a strong jawline and those _eyes._ Eyes that, no matter how pretty they look framed by long, thick lashes, have obviously seen death. Caused it too, even if indirectly. 

“If you’re planning to kill me, do you mind doing me a favor first?” 

Soobin startles under his invisibility cloak. “How did you know?” 

The mage tilts his head as he looks towards the door Soobin left barely ajar. “Even if I didn’t, you just gave yourself away.” He smiles sadly. “I’ll tell you since one of us isn’t going to be alive to care soon. You tripped a ward when you came in. It’s the most basic one. Protective wards take energy, and I don’t have enough to keep those up when I’m managing a war.” 

“I’m not here to kill you.” Soobin starts to inch closer. Taehyun had given him some sleeping powder that was supposed to knock someone unconscious immediately once inhaled, but he needed to get closer.

The mage grimaces. “Then I will have to kill you.” Regret is heavy in his voice and his posture and his pretty eyes. 

Soobin doesn’t believe for a second that he’s capable of evil. And he has an uncanny talent for judging people, even Taehyun had said so. 

“Mage of Arcadia, I’m here with a proposal.” 

His lips quirk. “The type of proposal that includes force if I turn you down?” 

They both know the answer to that, so Soobin continues. “We have reason to believe that you’d consider a...relocation to Sanctuary.” 

“You want me to betray Arcadia.”

“There’s no way you can support these tyrants,” Soobin says bitingly, “They’re murderers. They’re sending people to die in droves.” 

“Well, that would be your kingdom’s fault, wouldn’t it?” the mage asks, voice light but unamused. He shakes his head. “The battle outside is already lost. The king ordered me to minimize losses so they can take you off guard by launching a surprise offense tomorrow.” 

Soobin stiffens. Of course he knew they were winning before he infiltrated the tower, but to find out that King Doyoon was once again sacrificing his people to gain a small advantage made his blood boil.

“That _bastard_ —” 

“Ah,” the mage interrupts. “Aren’t you going to show yourself now? I’m going to be uncomfortable if you stay invisible.”

Soobin goes with his instincts. They’ve never failed him before. He tugs his cloak off, taking care to hide the pouch of sleeping powder. 

“Oh,” the mage says, mouth parting in surprise. Even though Soobin has a mask covering the bottom half of his face, it’s impossible to miss the winged earring and purple eyes that mark him as a member of Sanctuary’s royal family. The mage’s brows furrow deeply. “I doubt your council’s decision-making ability if they sent their crown prince on a mission like...this.” 

“It was my decision,” Soobin says, unruffled. Of course there’d been a hefty amount of protest against it, but with Yeonjun away guarding the East and Beomgyu busy with the current battle at hand, there’d been no one better. No one that he trusted not to harm the Arcadian mage. The grudges ran deep with some of the troops he commanded. 

“Alright then, Crown Prince Choi Soobin,” the mage murmurs. “If you can promise me the safety of my family, I will go with you quietly.” 

“How many? Where are they?” Beomgyu was right, he hadn’t been willing to serve. So easy to claim and convert; the mage was like a veritable queen on the chessboard.

“Four. My parents and two sisters.” The mage starts walking towards him, summoning a piece of paper in his hand. He transfigures it into a paper crane with a flick of his wrist. “This will guide you to them. Find them quickly.” 

The crane settles on Soobin’s shoulder, flapping its wings innocuously. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Huening Kai Kamal.” 

It’s a grand name. Soobin is sure he’s deserving of it. His parents must have cherished him to put so much thought into it; names have power. 

“I’m going to have to blindfold you or knock you out, Huening Kai,” Soobin says. “You can choose one.” 

Kai’s eyes narrow. “How do I know that my family’s safe?” 

“You’re going to have to trust me,” Soobin says firmly. “You know that I’m—” 

“I know nothing about you other than your name and your ancestry,” Kai says scathingly, “Everything else could be lies.” For the first time, his face shifts out of neutrality, eyes fierce now.

Soobin reaches for the bag of powder, but Kai has already reached him, deftly pulling the mask away from his face. 

“You’ll end up knocking yourself out too, so maybe don’t do that.” 

“How did you know?” Soobin breathes, heart pounding, but not quite because of a sense of danger, but because Kai’s _close,_ face angled towards him like he’s considering—

What is he considering?

“Why wear a mask if you have an invisibility cloak, Choi Soobin?”

They share a long look, if only because Soobin is so captivated he can’t immediately tear himself away from the temptation of plush lips and lidded eyes. 

“It’s not ideal, but it’ll do,” Kai says softly. “Your life is mine now, Choi Soobin, and my family’s, yours. Remember that.” 

Then the press of lips. 

It wasn’t that Choi Soobin, Crown Prince of Sanctuary, personally trained by the captain of the royal guard, was caught unaware. But Kai looks like fate and feels like inevitability. 

So Soobin lets him.

The kiss isn’t normal. Heat sears in between them, and Soobin feels magic surge through his veins; it feels raw, bordering on the edge of intimate. It’s nothing like the feeling when Taehyun casts protective wards on him or when he drinks a potion. Soobin is aware that Kai must have cast some sort of spell on him, but he’s clear-headed when he kisses back, licking at the seam of Kai’s mouth. After a brief moment of hesitation, the mage parts his lips for him, Soobin’s hands gently cupping his face now to angle them together perfectly. Kai is pliant and soft underneath him, and Soobin kisses him slowly, carefully, because for some reason he can sense that Kai feels vulnerable, like he’ll fall to pieces if Soobin doesn’t hold him together. 

The world narrows to Soobin holding Kai between his hands, this mage locked up in his own tower in enemy territory. 

Kai’s breathing is ragged when he pulls back, and Soobin’s eyes trace the way his tongue swipes back over his bottom lip. 

“That was unexpected,” Kai says, but his smile is strained, and all of a sudden he’s pitching forward into Soobin’s arms again. “Good luck,” he whispers, and with a snap of his fingers, the tower burst into flames around them. Then he completely sags against him, and Soobin curses lowly under his breath as he props the mage up, his head lolling listlessly. He’s unconscious. 

“Soobin! Why is this blasted tower on fire?” 

He has never been more relieved to hear his second-in-command. “Beomgyu!” 

“Shit shit shit, _ow,_ what’s wrong with him? Hyuka better not be dead, I will kill you myself if he’s dead!” The blond rushes over in worry, quickly checking Kai’s pulse. 

“I should have you sentenced for that,” Soobin mutters, but he’s concerned too, his heart pounding. 

“I’m guessing the guards outside were taken care of?” He nods towards the blood that stains Beomgyu’s breastplate. 

“I tried to leave them alive, but they never give up,” Beomgyu grits out. “I didn’t want to kill them since I have a teleportation orb to get us out.” 

Soobin belatedly remembers about the paper crane perched on his shoulder. “Beomgyu, do you only have one?” 

Beomgyu grins. “Did you think Taehyun would only let me bring one?”

Soobin sighs in relief. “Good, I need you to do one more thing before you return.” He carefully cups the crane on his shoulder, shielding it from the heat around them. “We need to take Kai’s family with us. Kai made this as a guide, but I don’t know if they’re being held as hostages or not. Take reinforcements with you, you have to bring four back.” 

Beomgyu’s gaze is flinty as he hands over one of the orbs. “Of course.” 

“Be safe.”

Beomgyu nods, taking the crane from him and swiftly weaving between the flames. Soobin doesn’t waste any more time and hurriedly activates the orb, and the magic whisks them away from devastation, away from the screams of the dying soldiers outside that he will never get used to. 

His feet aren’t on the ground for more than a second before Taehyun rushes in front of him. 

“Where’s Beomgyu?” he asks sharply as he quickly assesses Kai. “He drained himself,” he mutters before Soobin can answer him. “Did you duel?” 

“Beomgyu is retrieving his family. No, we didn’t duel,” Soobin said, cheeks becoming hot as he recalls the kiss. “He set his tower on fire.” 

“He really was never Arcadia’s to begin with,” Taehyun observes, “If he’s ready to give up all of his research like that.” He frowns, flicking his wrist to levitate Kai out of Soobin’s arms and onto one of the spare cots. Soobin bites back the protest. He has no claim over the mage, so why does he feel possessive? He feels Taehyun’s magic wash over him as he performs a diagnostics check for abnormalities. The familiar calming sensation is again, nothing like what Kai’s magic had felt like. His eyes are rooted on the mage, searching for the rise and fall of his chest.

“Soobin!” Taehyun sounds shocked, and Soobin is immediately worried, knowing just how little is capable of fazing him. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Tell me everything that happened in that tower, Choi Soobin,” Taehyun huffed. “Tell me how exactly Arcadia’s mage managed to soulbind you.”

* * *

Kai wakes up shackled to a bed, but otherwise comfortable. To be fair, he’s not entirely surprised at the turn of events. 

“Hyuka, you’re awake,” a familiar voice says, heavy with relief.

Kai startles at the familiar nickname. “Beomgyu?” he says in disbelief. “You’re—you’re not…” 

“Born and raised in Sanctuary,” the blond says with a tight smile. “I’m sorry about this.” He gestures to the cuffs. “I’ll call Soobin and Taehyun, they’re going to take these off immediately when we figure out exactly what the soulbond does.” 

Kai shrugs, though he feels somewhat unnerved that somebody had changed his garments for him. Arcadia and Sanctuary’s feud matters less to him than his family. “Is my family safe?” 

“I got them all,” Beomgyu says softly, clasping his shoulder reassuringly. “They’re safe. When we’re done, you can go see them.” 

Kai manages a smile. “Thank you, Beom.”

“Thank me?” Beomgyu bites his lip. “You trusted me, and I used you.” 

“If it’s you Beom, my family will be safer here than Arcadia. You know that Arcadia...has stopped being home a long time ago.” 

Beomgyu squeezes his shoulder. “Of course. I’ll be right back, Hyuka. Soulbinding the crown prince though? Didn’t know you had that in you.” He winks, and Kai sighs in mock exasperation. 

“Beom, shouldn’t you be more concerned?” 

“Knowing Soobin, he probably got himself in this situation,” Beomgyu says sagely. “Ah, really, let’s get you out of those. I’ll be right back.” 

Kai nods, staring at the ceiling as he muses quietly. Beomgyu turning out to be a spy was less surprising than he’d thought. Out of all the guards assigned to him, Beomgyu had been the only one he’d been close with. Kai learned to draw strength from his kindness and talkative personality whenever he was missing his family most. He had been like an older brother of sorts. 

As for the matter with Choi Soobin...maybe he’d been a bit ambitious on that one. Casting soul magic always took a heavy toll on him, and since he’d been managing the battlefield right up until that moment too, exhausting himself of magic had been the only option. He won’t recover for at least a week. He’d be helpless if not for the bond. 

The bond...Kai chews on his lip. It’s his only bargaining chip to keep his family safe, so he’ll cling onto it with all of his might. It’s not a spell that can be easily undone. 

He flushes when he remembers the prince’s mouth against his. Similar with most love spells—though the heavily modified soulbond spell hardly counts as one—it had to be activated with a kiss. Before then, he had never kissed anyone before, and when the prince kissed back he had been completely at a loss for what to do next as he felt magic steadily drain out of him. He’d felt vulnerable and secure and like he was _flying_ all at once, and he had greedily wanted more, had wanted the prince to continue with his tongue in his mouth, had felt so small and precious with the prince’s— _Soobin’s_ —hands cupping his face. 

But if he planned to betray Arcadia, not that there was any love lost there, then he would have to be thorough. He wouldn’t even leave a scrap of his notes for them, not when they’d been so ready to use his family against him, not when they forced him to be an indirect catalyst to so many soldiers’ deaths.

“Huening Kai Kamal.” 

The formal address startles him out of his thoughts, and he tilts his head to the side just enough to see Beomgyu return with Soobin and another mage. Even though he’s only has the vestiges of his magic, he can still sense auras. 

“Just Kai is fine.” His family name, while a source of pride, only reminds him of the precarious position they’re in every day. King Doyoon called him Huening, as did Arcadia’s royal family. It served as a warning. 

“I’m Kang Taehyun. You’re the only mage I know who’s capable of soul magic,” the dark-haired mage said as he waves away Kai’s handcuffs. He must have realized that Kai wouldn’t be capable of anything, weak as he is.

He sits up carefully, rubbing a little at his sore wrists. Beomgyu and Soobin look ready to approach him, but the mage holds them back with a raise of his hand. 

“It’s not ideal,” Kai says honestly. “How long was I out for?” 

“Two days.” 

Kai hums, unsurprised. “I used a modified spell for the soulbinding,” he starts without preamble. Taehyun doesn’t seem to be the type of person to beat around the bush. “Choi Soobin, do you feel any unusual discomfort right now?” 

The crown prince jumps slightly, as if he was surprised to be called on. “Just Soobin is fine…” he mumbles before looking thoughtful. “My wrists are a little sore, but that’s from sparring with Beomgyu—” The three freeze at the implication. 

“Right,” Kai continues. “The bond will transmit pain and injuries...including fatal wounding.” 

“My life is yours,” Soobin breathes, repeating back what Kai had said to him in the tower. “So that’s what you meant.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t trust you,” Kai says with a tight smile towards Taehyun. “This is my failsafe. You won't harm my family if that would put the crown prince in danger, correct?” 

“You’re going to be hurt a lot more,” Beomgyu blurts, concern clear in his eyes. “Mages don’t go through physical conditioning, but Soobin is in the battlefield often. He has armor and Hyun’s enchantments to dull the pain. You won’t have either of those!” 

“It’s worth it,” Kai responds flatly. “Can I see them now, since you have my explanation?” 

Taehyun nods. “You’re very talented. I look forward to spending more time with you.” He turns to Soobin and Beomgyu. “Go ahead and accompany him. When he’s rested enough, I’ll start working with him. We’ll turn these tides yet.” He lowers his voice and smacks the back of Soobin’s head. “Soobin, you idiot. You’ve gotten yourself into something unnecessary.” Beomgyu snickers as he moves to Kai’s side again. 

“Need help?”

“I’m good.” Kai squints down at him. “Did you get shorter again?” 

“Ya!” Beomgyu punches Kai in the shoulder jokingly. “You’re just two inches taller brat, don’t pretend you’re all that.” 

“Gyu,” Soobin says irritatedly as he rubs his shoulder. Ah, he could see how this could be troublesome.

“Oh, oops,” Beomgyu says innocently. Soobin can already see the gears turning in his head. He sighs. 

“Let’s go.” He’s sure Kai is anxious to see his family, even though he tries hard to appear aloof. He’ll have to increase the amount of guards for their quarters. Beomgyu trusts Kai, which is good enough for him, and Taehyun hadn’t been able to pick out any malicious intent. The soulbond for now only remains a minor inconvenience. 

* * *

“My son,” Kai’s father says tearily, and Soobin already knows that the reunion is too intimate and too raw to be witnessed by outsiders. Against his better judgment, he pulls Beomgyu with him out the door. Kai catches his hand and squeezes it gratefully on the way; Soobin thinks about the impracticality of falling in love with a stranger. 

“He never talked about them,” Beomgyu says, voice cracking from empathy. “On our way here, his family begged me to do anything to keep him safe, even if it meant compromising their own safety.” 

“They love each other,” Soobin says simply. “He would do anything for them; his perseverance is admirable.”

“Pretty sure you find more than that admirable.” Beomgyu stops giggling when Soobin elbows him in the side. “Ow, stop it before I tell on you.”

Soobin rolls his eyes. “We’re not children.” Beomgyu sticks his tongue out. 

* * *

Kai knows that they’re good people with good intentions. Maybe Arcadia had started like that too at first. It’s not hard to fall into a routine with Taehyun, designing enchantments and arrays to assist the field soldiers. Taehyun helps cushion his harsher magic, something Kai has some trouble at first adjusting to when all Arcadia had asked of him was power dialed to maximum. He talks to Beomgyu a lot, who treats him like a younger brother and keeps running his mouth about someone named Choi Yeonjun (it’s cute, Beomgyu definitely fancies him). He’s free to visit his family in the castle whenever he wants to, and he’s beyond thankful for the spacious quarters they’d been granted. They aren’t allowed outside for their safety, but that’s expected. Having his family so close by is a comfort he didn’t have before.

(He’s happy.)

Soobin mostly hovers near him guiltily whenever he gets back from a sparring session or another battle, no matter how often Kai tells him that he can handle it. 

They also kiss a few more times, but Kai tries his very damn best to not think about that. 

(It’s difficult.)

The second time they kiss is slow, tentative, and much like the first. It’s a rare moment where Taehyun isn’t accompanying Kai, and it happens so quickly that neither of them really recall how it started, just that it did, with Soobin pressing Kai against the door, languidly locking their lips together.

“Is this okay?” Soobin murmurs, breath ticklish against his jaw. 

“Yes.” Because that’s the only thing he can say back without stammering, and when Taehyun comes back and asks why he was so red, he lies and says it’s because he’s hot. 

(He’s a terrible liar, and by the way Taehyun snorts immediately and sends a disapproving glance at Soobin’s retreating figure, Kai guesses he doesn’t buy it.)

The third kiss is different. Kai tries to keep up but it’s almost overwhelming, Soobin’s mouth needy against his, hands gripping in his hair this time, a sensation that Kai embarrassingly likes maybe a little too much. Towards the end, he whispers a confession against the column of Soobin’s throat, a soft, “I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“Could have fooled me, darling.” A gentle kiss lands on Kai’s nose. “We can take it slow, if you want.” Then, the twine of fingers.

Kai shakes his head and tries not to blush at the endearment or the way their hands fit together perfectly.. “I just wanted you to know.” He follows up with a shy kiss that he starts this time, curious and exploratory, though it quickly dissolves into a messy slide of lips after he licks into Soobin’s mouth.

It doesn’t feel strange when Soobin holds him in his arms after, his head tiredly tucked against Kai’s shoulder. Kai finds himself fighting sleep as they talk lazily about anything that comes to mind. 

The next kiss is the one Soobin presses against his forehead as he slips out of Kai’s bed. 

(Kai is falling, from new heights he hadn’t known before.) 

Then there are kisses that Kai’s not sure he should count as kisses. That’s what he thinks when Soobin mouths against his neck, drawing whimpers and stifled noises he hadn’t known he was capable of making. 

(He finds out the hard way that he should cover up after _those_ kisses when Beomgyu and Taehyun stare at him the next morning. Beomgyu laughs for what seems like ten straight minutes, while Taehyun quietly seethes and maybe plots Soobin’s demise.) 

After that they’re not much of a secret anymore, and Soobin makes ample use of the invisibility cloak to steal away into Kai’s room. 

Soobin is always apologetic when he traces the bruises and light injuries on Kai. 

“I hate seeing these on you,” he’d whisper against his skin, which would make Kai feel warm all over.

“They don’t hurt that much.” It’s the truth, he’s always had a high tolerance for pain.

“Still.” Soobin is cute when he pouts, so Kai indulges him, cooing at him and running his fingers through his hair, tickling him under his chin, and stretching his cheeks until he smiles again.

(Kai is learning that Soobin still has so many sides of himself to show.)

Sometimes they talk about the war, about Soobin’s obligations to the people and the throne. The war has been inching towards the end for weeks now. Arcadia should have surrendered long ago, but they suspect King Doyoon is refusing to give up. 

They wonder how a once benevolent king has been twisted, reduced to almost savagery. There are rumors of the involvement of dark magic, but Kai had been close enough to the inner circle to hear gossip, and there had been no leads to that particular rumor. Kai stopped snooping after he’d been sent a warning by the king through his familiar, a black cat with mismatched eyes. 

(It’s odd that the king even has a familiar, but Kai had learned to keep his mouth shut and eyes turned away.) 

More often than not though, their conversations are about childhoods, or the lack thereof in Soobin’s case. They’re about memories and loved ones and vulnerabilities, punctuated by kisses and soft movements in between, and Kai is both confused and excited about how easy it feels with Soobin, like they were meant for each other.

(He bottles up his insecurities and tries not to let them fester. He doesn’t know anything about love, not the kind that leaves him breathless and aching for more but also comforted and secure at the same time.)

There is no peace in wartime, but Kai clings to the stolen moments with Soobin, his developing friendship with Taehyun, the laughter with his family and Beomgyu. 

(Because when he wakes up in cold sweat from the nightmares, always red and the screaming still ringing in his ears, Soobin isn’t there. He has to take care of himself, stifling sobs against his pillow.)

(Those arrays that explode violently when a soldier steps on them. The potions that take away the feeling of sensations, often returning soldiers home with injuries they can’t recover from and pain they can’t handle. Constantly finding ways to more efficiently injure, maim, kill.) 

He is so tired.

* * *

Kai is working on adding wards to the protective shield around the castle when the wind is knocked out of him, the sudden dizzying pain forcing him on his knees to the ground.

“Hyuka!”

He coughs up blood, vision blurring. “Check on Soobin,” he manages to croak out, and that’s a lot of blood on the ground, _is Soobin alright, please let him be okay—_

* * *

“The worst thing is that I can’t even tell you to be careful,” Taehyun says quietly as Soobin worriedly brushes back Kai’s bangs, holding tightly onto the mage’s hand.

Soobin is gifted at knowing the right things to say to motivate his troops, his presence alone enough to boost morale. A large part of that is because he’s always in the thick of it with his soldiers, fighting with the rest of them instead of sitting pretty by the king’s side.

“Who is he?”

Taehyun startles—he hadn’t noticed the captain of the royal guard propped against the doorway. His flair for dramatics seemed to have remained perfectly intact.

“Yeonjun,” Taehyun greets with a smile. “Welcome back. Gyu will be happy when he finds out.” 

Yeonjun grins fondly. “I’ll ask about what he's been up to later. Is this Soobin’s new sweetheart?”

“You act like I’ve been around,” Soobin grumbles.

“As your personal guard, I can attest to your wild adolescent years—”

“Go to Gyu,” Soobin interrupts. “Hyun, go join them, since a healer already came.”

Taehyun nods and drags a confused Yeonjun out with him. 

“You can open your eyes, love,” Soobin says when the door closes.

“But I wanted to hear about your wild adolescent years,” Kai pouts, slowly blinking his eyes open. “How did you know?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t be able to tell by now?” Soobin smiles gently, dragging a knuckle across his cheek. “Do you feel alright?”

Kai squeezes his hand. “I feel fine. What about you?” A pointed glare from Soobin later, he clears his throat and adds, “I just feel a little weak.”

“Is it so hard to tell me how you really feel?” Soobin asks, pressing a kiss against the back of Kai’s hand. “If it hurts, tell me. If you’re sad, tell me. If you ever need me, tell me. I want to be here for you.” 

“Soobin…” Kai chews his lip, not knowing where to look. He’s too embarrassed to meet Soobin’s gaze, almost afraid of what he’ll find there. His cheeks are burning when he asks evasively, “What about you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. We got some bad information, so it took Yeonjun a little longer to reach me. Kai…” He tilts Kai’s chin towards him until Kai has no choice but to look at him, cheeks almost as red as his lips. Soobin curses under his breath. “You’re beautiful, love.” He curses again. “Not what I meant to say,” he mumbles, and this time it’s Soobin who looks away for a moment. “Kai…” He takes a deep breath before turning back towards him. “Don’t you trust me? I swear on my life that I’ll do everything in my power to keep your family safe. You need to break the soulbond. I can’t keep on seeing you get hurt because of me.” 

“Maybe later,” Kai says, barely audible, and seeing Soobin’s face fall hurt more than coughing up blood. “Binnie.” He tugs the prince’s hand. “I trust you,” he says, trying to pour as much emotion into his words so that Soobin would believe him. “I do, but maybe after everything is over. For now, even when we’re apart, I know when you’re wounded and need help. I’m not willing to give that up.” 

Kai always sets his jaw a certain way when he’s planning to dig his heels in. Soobin has never been able to outstubborn him, and not for lack of trying.

“What if I beg you every day?” 

Kai grins cheekily. “Please don’t, I’ll feel bad if I have to see your sad face every day.” 

Soobin leans over and presses their foreheads together. “And what if I don’t kiss you until you give in, love?” 

“You wouldn’t,” Kai says, contemplating shutting his eyes because Soobin is too much like this, too close, too tempting. He hasn’t had much luck with getting used to Soobin calling him ‘love’ either, if the way he blushes every time is any indication. “But if you tried it, I wouldn’t give in. I care about you too much.” There’s another word that lodges in his throat, but he doesn’t think he can get it out right now. 

“My stubborn angel,” Soobin says, cupping his face, and Kai lets his eyes flutter shut when he feels Soobin’s warm lips against his. 

A conversation like this is fine, too. 

* * *

“Can you stay here tonight?” 

“I—what? You want me to stay the night? I-In the same bed?” 

“Y-You don’t have to, I was just—” 

“No no, I’ll stay, love.” 

“Don’t tell your parents.” 

“They adore you.” 

“So when do I get to meet Yeonjun?”

“Do you really want to talk about another man right now?”

“Nnh, Binnie, you’re cute like this…” 

“Hush.”

* * *

He may not be able to wear his heart on his sleeve, but all of his fears come alive at night, all of the worry he hides behind a facade of cheerfulness and mental fortitude surfacing and drowning him. 

It’s red, like always, except this time it’s Soobin screaming and not the soldiers whose names he’d never learned. 

He wakes up with his cheeks wet, his world tilting violently on its axis when he remembers he’s not alone, that the fingers carding through his hair are Soobin’s, that it’s Soobin who is raining down soft kisses against his eyelids, his forehead, his nose, that it’s Soobin’s arm around his shoulder, firmly reassuring, grounding him, because _Soobin is here._

His sobs quickly subside into hiccups and he buries deep into Soobin’s chest, clinging onto the thin nightshirt tightly. 

“I love you,” he thinks he says right before he falls asleep, lulled by the rhythm of Soobin gently stroking his back. 

* * *

Kai and Yeonjun take to each other immediately. Soobin supposes he should have known that they would have gotten along swell with their similar personalities, although it’d taken quite a bit to draw Kai out of his shell. The mood overall is higher these days, with Yeonjun being back and Kai and Taehyun having collapsed most of Arcadia’s inner defenses. The end of the war is only a battle away. 

Soobin has thought about whether or not he wanted to do this before or after everything was over. In the end, it’s the war that brought Kai to him in a sick turn of fate. It’s the thought of something possibly going wrong at the very last second that he can’t fully push away that drives him to take Kai with him up the tallest tower in the castle, the one with an open roof. The stars shine the brightest from there. 

“Why are we here?” Kai asks curiously, arms looped leisurely around Soobin’s waist. “Can’t sleep before the big day?” 

“I wanted to give you something.” His hands are shaking when he unfurls his palm, a winged earring lying at the center. “I already spoke with your parents and got their blessing. Lea hit me—” 

Kai’s hand curls over his hand, pressing the earring against both of their palms. Soobin doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of the way they fit together like puzzle pieces, Kai slotting against him warm and irresistible. Their lips are soft against each other, and it takes them a beat too long to separate. 

“I felt like I did this backwards,” Soobin says with a catch in his throat, because Kai looks dazed and gorgeous and breathtaking in the moonlight, “I don’t know how everything will end tomorrow. There is no perfect victory but you. I love you...I've loved you for a while now.” 

“I know.” Kai’s smile is a little watery, which sends Soobin in a frenzy to wipe away the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. Kai ends up laughing at how distraught Soobin seems. 

“Are you going to pierce my ears here?” 

“Mhm. Stay still, love.” 

Soon after, Kai smiles brightly at him, the royal family’s winged earring affixed firmly on his ear. He is beautiful.

“Not what you signed up for at first, right?” Soobin says with some amusement as they huddle close to look at the stars. 

“What would you like me to say, Choi Soobin?” Kai says teasingly. “‘Thank you for changing my fate?’” 

“No, thank you for changing _mine,_ love.” 

“Binnie…” 

Soobin chuckles and cages Kai against the ground. “You always start something you can’t finish.” 

“It’s cold outside,” Kai complains as Soobin kisses down his jaw. 

“It’s a good thing I’m here to warm you up then.” 

“You’re—Choi Soobin!” 

“That I am. Oh wait, are you Choi Kai Kamal now?” 

“Unbelievable—!” 

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/yourcutiekai) & [ask](https://curiouscat.me/dracometria) >3<♡
> 
> perfect victory is the meaning of kai’s name ;___; 
> 
> if there are any glaring mistakes shoot them my way i'll fix it when i'm free >3<


End file.
